Prints & Photographs Division
Acquisition and Appraisal Information

Featured Acquisition

One of the strengths of
the Library's holdings is 19th century photographs documenting the American
West. Contemporary photographer Mark Ruwedel revisited the site of Andrew
J. Russell's 1868 view of the Union Pacific Bridge and used the same vantage
point that Russell selected more than 100 years earlier. Surprisingly,
the landscape shows little change. The railroad draws the eye into the
photograph, while the immutable Citadel Rock dominates the background
of both views. The addition of houses and telephone poles place Ruwedel's
image in modern times.